Funded Pool vs Played Pool: The Mental Model That Matters

The Two Phrases, in One Line Each

• Funded pool = the amount the creator put up at game creation, which is the cap on how much players can collectively stake against the game.
• Played pool = the amount of that cap that players actually staked against, by the time the game closes.

If those two numbers are equal, the game filled. If the played pool is smaller than the funded pool, the game partly filled and the difference is the unplayed remainder.

That's the entire vocabulary you need.

Why the Distinction Matters

Bluff Kingdom's fee model uses played pool, not funded pool, as the base for fees. Specifically:

• At settlement, the platform takes 2% of each side's winnings — 2% of what the creator wins plus 2% of what players win.
• Together, those add up to 2% of the played pool.
• The unplayed remainder of the funded pool returns to the creator with no fee, and losing stakes are never charged a fee.

The downstream consequence is that a game that doesn't fill is not penalised. The creator only pays a fee proportional to the demand their game actually attracted. Pool sizing becomes a forgiving decision rather than a bet on demand.

Worked Example: A Partly-Filled Game

Creator funds 100 USDC. By close, only 50 of the pool has been matched. After settlement, the creator wins 40 and players collectively win 10.

• Funded pool: 100
• Played pool: 50
• Unplayed remainder: 50 (returned to creator with no fee)
• Creator's winnings: 40 → fee = 2% of 40 = 0.80
• Players' winnings: 10 → fee = 2% of 10 = 0.20
• Total platform fee: 1.00 = 2% of the played pool

The creator pays no fee on the 50 that nobody staked against. That portion comes back unchanged.

Worked Example: A Filled Game

Creator funds 100 USDC. Players stake against the full pool; by close, the played pool equals the funded pool. After settlement, the creator wins 70 and players collectively win 30.

• Funded pool: 100
• Played pool: 100
• Unplayed remainder: 0
• Creator's winnings: 70 → fee = 2% of 70 = 1.40
• Players' winnings: 30 → fee = 2% of 30 = 0.60
• Total platform fee: 2.00 = 2% of the played pool

Each side pays 2% only on what they actually won.

Worked Example: A Game That Drew No Plays

Creator funds 100 USDC. Closing time arrives; nobody staked.

• Funded pool: 100
• Played pool: 0
• Unplayed remainder: 100 (returned to creator with no fee)
• Total platform fee: 0

The creator gets the full 100 back. No fee, no penalty, no side-effects.

Why "Played Amount" Is Symmetric

The same logic applies to both sides of the game.

• Creator side: pays 2% of whatever the creator wins at settlement.
• Player side: each winning player pays 2% of their winnings.

When the game settles, both sides pay the same 2% rate on what they won. Together those fees add up to 2% of the played pool, regardless of how the win is split.

This is unlike the typical sportsbook model, where the house takes a spread built into the odds and only one side "pays" in any recognisable sense. On Bluff Kingdom, both sides pay the platform fee visibly and at the same rate.

How Sizing the Pool Changes With This Model

Because fees track the played pool, the funded pool size is not a bet on demand. It's a cap.

• Over-fund by 2x or more: the worst case is that the unplayed remainder is large and your balance is tied up until close. Returns with no fee.
• Under-fund: the game fills early, late-arriving players can't stake, and you might leave demand unmet.
• Match expected demand: the game fills steadily, your fee is in line with the demand you actually attracted.

The honest answer is that there's no penalty for over-funding except the opportunity cost of locked balance. A creator with extra balance they aren't using elsewhere can over-fund freely. A creator who needs the balance for other plays should size more carefully.

How This Affects Player-Side Decisions

For players, the model is even simpler:

• Your fee is 2% of what you win. If you don't win, you don't pay a fee.
• The fee doesn't depend on how big the funded pool is.
• The fee doesn't depend on whether the game ends up filling or not.
• The fee doesn't depend on which side you pick.

If you win 5, your fee is 0.10. A losing stake is just lost — no extra fee on top.

Why This Matters for Game Discovery

When you're scanning the games list, the funded pool tells you the ceiling, and the played pool tells you the current state.

• A game with 100 funded and 5 played has lots of room for new stakes; the per-side split might still shift.
• A game with 100 funded and 95 played is almost full; what's there is mostly the final shape.

For creators, the played pool tells you whether your game is doing what you wanted. For players, it tells you how heavily a game is already weighted.

Common Misunderstandings

A few patterns that come up.

"If I fund a big pool, my fee is bigger"

Only if the played pool also grows to match. Funding a 1000 pool that only draws 30 of play means the fee base is 30, not 1000 — and you only pay 2% on what you actually win out of that.

"The played pool is what I pay out"

The played pool is what's at stake. The distribution to winners is the played pool minus the 2% fees taken from each side's winnings. The funded pool's unplayed remainder is separate and returns to the creator.

"The played pool decides how much I can stake"

Up to a point. Each stake adds to the played pool, and the played pool can't exceed the funded pool. So the funded pool is the ultimate cap; the played pool is just where the cap is right now relative to staking activity.

"If the game doesn't fill, players who staked lose extra"

No. Each player's stake is just their own. The played pool being small means there's less in the losing-side pot to redistribute, so winners get a smaller proportional payout — but no player pays extra because the game didn't fill.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens to the unplayed remainder? It's returned to the creator with no fee at game close.

Does the played pool change after close? No. At close, the played pool is locked. The result is computed against that final number.

Can the played pool exceed the funded pool? No. The funded pool is the cap. Once the cap is hit, the platform stops accepting stakes.

Does the player fee depend on the played pool? Indirectly. The fee is 2% of what each player wins at settlement. A bigger played pool can mean bigger winnings, which means a bigger fee — but the rate is always 2% of winnings.

Does the creator fee depend on the funded pool? No. The creator fee is 2% of the creator's winnings, drawn from the played pool only. The unplayed remainder is never charged.

Why doesn't the platform charge based on the funded pool? Because that would punish creators for over-sizing pools, which the platform actively wants to allow. Pool size should match expected demand, and the unplayed remainder should be a clean no-cost return.

Where to Go Next

For the full fee model with worked examples, Stakes, pools, and the 2% fee model is the canonical guide. For the creator-side perspective on sizing, the creator's playbook covers pool sizing as one of five creator decisions. And the help center has the canonical reference for current fee rules.